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The election guarantees two new trustees for the Escondido Union School District board. Marv Gilbert is not seeking re-election, and Zoe Carpenter stepped down in August.

The district agreed last fall to change its elections from an at-large, citywide system to voting by trustee area. California school districts have faced lawsuits alleging minority voters are underrepresented.

The district has five trustee areas. Only residents in Areas 1 and 3 will vote on the candidates. Area 1 is in central Escondido, roughly between Interstate 15 and east to Midway Drive. Area 3 is generally the southeast area, south of downtown and east of Interstate 15.

The district, led by Superintendent Jennifer Walters, serves nearly 18,000 students at 23 schools and a preschool program. It employs more than 1,800 people. According to the 2011 state Academic Performance Index report, the district has a “numerically significant” number of socio-economically disadvantaged students and English-language learners.

The district has wrestled for several years with state cuts to education funding. Teacher layoffs were avoided this school year when trustees approved a district staff recommendation to use reserves to balance the budget amid the uncertainty of state funding that’s based on November tax initiatives.

The district is well-regarded for its use of technology in the classroom to enhance learning and boost student achievement.

Joe Bologna, Area 1

Bologna, 56, a Harrah’s Rincon Casino & Resort games table dealer, has lived in Area 1 since moving to Escondido more than 30 years ago. He was the longtime owner of a bread distribution company.

Joe Bologna

As the father of three grown children who attended Escondido public schools, Bologna said, he has long been interested in education. “Education is the foundation for shaping the future leaders of our community.”

He said the district’s biggest challenge is the state economic crisis. He said he understands the difficulties of reduced budgets and the importance of financial stability. “Having managed budgets at home, Little League, and in business, I know the importance of learning to live within or below your means.”

He said he would like to eliminate any waste in the education system so that more money can be directed to classrooms. “We need to focus on continuing to bring each child to the highest level of their ability.”

Bologna said the district is strong in several areas, including showing progress for English-language learners and the integration of technology in the classroom.

Bologna is chairman of the city’s Community Services Commission. He served on the board of directors for Escondido American Little League for seven years. In 2010, he ran for mayor.

Jose Fragozo, Area 1

Fragozo, 47, a senior electronics technician for the County Water Authority, has lived in Escondido for 10 years. He said he moved two months ago from Hidden Meadows in north Escondido to a small apartment in Area 1. Hidden Meadows is in Area 5.

Jose Fragozo

Fragozo, whose wife is an Escondido middle schoolteacher, said he is running for the K-8 board because it’s his passion “to serve the EUSD community.” His two sons, now in college, attended city public schools.

Fragozo previously ran for the K-8 board in 2006 and 2010 and the high school board in 2008. He said he wants to serve on the K-8 board because Escondido education is failing at the elementary and middle school level.

The biggest challenges facing the district are state cuts to education funding and declining enrollment, Fragozo said. He was also critical of district leadership.

He said the district’s strength is in its students, who are eager to be challenged. “Attendance records at EUSD show that kids want to be at school and learn.” He believes that the college-prep requirements known as the “A-G Curriculum” should be extended into elementary and middle schools.

Fragozo has been chairman of the North County Parent Conference since 2008; is a member of the high school district’s bond oversight committee; and was a member of the Escondido High Parent Club for several years.

Paulette Donnellon, Area 3

Donnellon, 44, is an innovation in education solution specialist for Southland Technology whose 20-year career has focused on using technology in education. She has lived in Escondido since 1976, the past 15 years in Area 3. Donnellon is president of the Escondido Education Foundation.

Paulette Donnellon

Donnellon said she has long wanted to run for school board, and with her sons now grown the time is right.

She said she is a creative thinker whose experiences working with schools nationwide will benefit the board. “The students are our customers, and I want to ensure that they receive an education fit for the future leaders of tomorrow.”

The district’s biggest challenges are the budget; stretching the dollars it does receive; and adapting to upcoming “Common Core State Standards,” Donnellon said.

She sees many district strengths, including the use of technology, noting that the district’s iRead program is widely respected. She said the district has “tremendous leadership and high-quality employees … (who are) there because they want to enrich the lives of the students they work with.”

Donnellon served in the Army for eight years and was deployed during Operation Desert Storm. She and her children attended Escondido public schools, and she has been a member of the education foundation since 2009.

Don Haught, Area 3

Haught, 75, a retired educator, has lived in Escondido for 25 years, the past 12 in Area 3. He said he cares about the quality of education in Escondido and took an interest in the K-8 board when the new election system was adopted.

Don Haught

Haught’s decades-long career includes working as a middle and high schoolteacher; high school principal; Poway deputy superintendent; Ramona superintendent; and executive director of the Western Association of Schools & Colleges Accrediting Commission. He is a board member of SIATech charter school in Vista.

He said his experience can help guide the district during difficult financial and social times. Haught said he brings no personal agenda to the race, adding that he wants only “high-quality teaching and learning for all the students.”

This is Haught’s first run for office. He sought appointment to Escondido’s high school district board in 2004. Haught has served on the board of the Casa de las Campanas retirement community and on his church’s board of elders and finance committee.

Virginia Lopez, Area 3

Lopez, 46, a bankruptcy and consumer law attorney, has lived in Area 3 for 10 years. She said she decided to run as a way to get more involved in Escondido and saw an opportunity when the trustee-area election system was established.

Virginia Lopez

Although she is not a parent or educator, Lopez said, her background as a businesswoman will be an asset. “I think the business community has an interest in making the district an attractive district.”

The biggest challenges facing the district are accountability for student performance and the state budget crisis, Lopez said.

The district’s strength is that “Escondido is a wonderful place to live, raise your children,” she said, adding that many families have lived in the city for generations. She said the school district “has great potential.” As a business owner, she “realized the school districts are really the web in the community.”

Lopez served four years in the Army as a military intelligence analyst and in the Army Reserve. She was director of the North County Bar Association and is a member of Comerciantes Latinos Association, a merchants group.